Hanwha's No. 99 Ryu Hyun-jin could be coming home

Ryu Hyun-jin might be coming home. Eleven seasons after leaving the KBO to become one of the most successful pitchers ever to ply his trade in the big leagues, free agent Ryu is reportedly entertaining an offer from the Hanwha Eagles.

Ryu Hyun-jin [AP/YONHAP]

Ryu Hyun-jin might be coming home.

Eleven seasons after leaving the KBO to become one of the most successful pitchers ever to ply his trade in the big leagues, free agent Ryu is reportedly entertaining an offer from the Hanwha Eagles.

Ryu, who became a free agent after finishing the final year of a four-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays last year, has reportedly been in touch with the Eagles, who still the retain his rights in the KBO.

The story originally broke as a rumor over the weekend, with the Eagles said to have offered a record-breaking 18 billion won ($13.4 million) four-year deal. That rumor is unsubstantiated, but the Eagles have since confirmed that the club has been in contact with Ryu, according to Yonhap.

Reports on Tuesday suggest that the Eagles deal is expected imminently, with Ryu rumored to be preparing to join Hanwha at their spring training camp in Okinawa, Japan as early as Wednesday.

The ultimate KBO ace, Ryu arrived in the league in 2006 to win Rookie of the Year, MVP and All-Star honors and take the Triple Crown.

Ryu went on to make the All-Star team every year for the following six years, topping the KBO strikeout ranking five times, the ERA ranking twice and earning two Golden Glove awards.

Ryu moved to the big leagues in 2013, joining the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched for the California club until 2019, when he was the MLB ERA leader and named to the All-Star squad.

Ryu joined the Blue Jays in 2020 on a four-year, $80 million contract, but was only able to play two full seasons before undergoing Tommy John surgery in the middle of the 2022 campaign. He returned to the mound at the tail end of the 2023 season.

A return to the Eagles has always been on the cards, with Ryu repeatedly promising that he would finish his career where it all started — in Daejeon with the Eagles. His No. 99 jersey has remained unused since he left the club at the end of the 2012 season.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]